Naruto Shippūden Season 4

Naruto Shippūden Season 4 is currently streaming on and , and it earns its premise rather than just borrowing genre trappings. The 1-season run is exactly the right length for what it is doing. With 8,708 viewer ratings on TMDB, this is not a title flying under the radar. Junko Takeuchi leads a cast that never lets the concept overwhelm the characters. There is no real reason to keep putting it off.

There is a reason Naruto Shippūden Season 4 keeps coming up in conversation. What makes Naruto Shippūden Season 4 work is that the ideas never crowd out the people having them. Asuma and Shikamaru have to think on their feet as they face the mind-boggling jutsu of the Akatsuki pair, Hidan and Kakuzu. At the last minute, the Akatsuki are called away, but not before dealing a fatal blow to a revered shinobi of the Leaf. The devastated ninja left behind can think only of revenge, but Tsunade is opposed to the scheme until an offer of help arrives from an unexpected source. Junko Takeuchi and Noriaki Sugiyama lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was aired in 2008. The rules of Naruto Shippūden Season 4's world are consistent enough that the big swings never feel like cheating. It sustains a level of quality that very few manage to hold onto all the way through.

Naruto Shippūden Season 4 is satisfying on multiple levels — something to watch and something to think about after. It rewards viewers regardless of what else is in their watch history. The complete run is available and best experienced without too much prior knowledge of where it goes. Watch for Junko Takeuchi in particular — the performance elevates the material. Satisfying on multiple levels.